MSU’s Pat Narduzzi takes home Broyles Award

Posted by John Taylor on December 10, 2013, 3:56 PM EST

AP

They may not have him for long, but, for now, Michigan State is home to the top assistant coach in the country.

At a ceremony held this afternoon in Little Rock, Ark., it was announced that Spartans defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has been named the 2013 winner of the prestigious Broyles Award. Narduzzi was one of five finalists for the award announced earlier this month, along with Auburn offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Rhett Lashlee, Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and Duke offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper.

“Pat pays great attention to detail, and he’s an outstanding teacher,” Narduzzi’s boss, head coach Mark Dantonio, said in a statement. “His relationships with his players also is a strength. In addition, he’s an outstanding recruiter. Pat has been a loyal staff member for 10 years, including the last seven years at MSU. As our assistant head coach, he’s asked to manage a lot of duties.

“Pat has been the architect of a top 10 defense for the last three years. There’s no question that his defense has been the cornerstone for this record-setting 12-win season.”

Narduzzi was in charge of a defense that finished the regular season fourth in the country in scoring defense and first in total defense, helping the Spartans to earn their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1987. How long he remains in East Lansing remains to be seen.

After MSU’s win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game, Narduzzi interviewed for the head-coaching vacancy at UConn. It’s believed Narduzzi is the leading candidate to land that job, a position that should be filled at some point this week.

He really can do better than UConn. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s a step up from being the defensive coordinator at MSU. If Mack Brown steps down at UT, the coaching dominoes for better programs will start to fall and he ought to be able to grab on to one of them.